Dems Look to Extend Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Power

A group of House Democrats introduced legislation Wednesday aimed at widening Medicare’s ability to negotiate down the price of drugs with pharmaceutical companies.

The Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act builds on provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and past executive orders by increasing the number of drugs subject to price negotiations.

It also provides new rebates for prescription drugs under Medicare and caps insulin copays at $35 per month for those on private health insurance.

The bill is cosponsored by top-ranked Democratic Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey on Energy and Commerce, Richard Neal of Massachusetts on Ways and Means, and Bobby Scott of Virginia on Education.

In 2019, the same three congressmen worked on the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, named after the late civil rights activist and Democratic representative from Maryland.

The bill was mostly folded into the IRA several years later.

“Our economy bears the burden of high prescription drug costs. Employer-provided health plans spend billions of dollars every year to cover the cost of drugs,” Scott told The Hill. “The American people have also made it clear that they want Congress to take action.”

Although unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled House, the outlet noted that the legislation could be a top priority for a future Democratic majority in the lower chamber.

Pharmaceutical companies are challenging the IRA’s existing negotiation power, with multiple lawsuits targeting the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program across different jurisdictions.

On Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson became the latest drug manufacturer to take the federal government to court over the matter, joining separate suits filed by Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Astellas Pharma.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, as well as the United States Chamber of Commerce, have also sued the Biden administration.